Settling
by dattainabledream
Summary: Many would jump at the chance at being a part of one of the greatest magical discoveries of all time. Would love play a role in hindering Cho's thirst for knowledge?
1. Chapter 1

The study of wizarding genealogies is considered by many to be a prestigious area of magical study. There are three significant purposes for the study of wizarding genealogies.

1\. Tracking pure blood in wizarding families. A wizard, curious about his blood status, will employ a wizarding genealogist. Usually, the wizard is wealthy and is convinced of the importance of being pure blood. In attempting to prove that his family is pure blood up to 16 generations previous (further back if they could) the wizard or witch will pay a vast amount of money to a wizarding genealogist.

This wizarding genealogist can find themselves very wealthy if they bring about results that are pleasing to the wizard or witch. If the results are not pleasing, they will still find themselves wealthier but not as reputable. A rich wizard has influence enough to bring disrepute to the wizarding genealogist, while still enforcing the facade of being truly, pure-blood. The wizarding genealogist, being defamed, may give up the study of wizard genealogy altogether or might rely more on the others areas of study within genealogy for their professional gain.

2\. Connection to Name. A wizard will also employ a wizarding genealogist to find out if they are connected to wizards of renown. It has been rumored that Sybil Trelawney, a professor at Hogwarts school of wizardry and magic, only received her professorship because of her familial connection to famed seer, Cassandra Trelawney. That however, is only hearsay, no matter how truthful it sounds.

A relation to a wizard of renown, even an evil wizard such as Grindelwald, can be beneficial to the wizard's fame and even wealth. Recently, a distant cousin to the late Bathilda Bagshot was able to claim some of her leftover property, that was not designated by her will to any relation or entity. This claim was many years after Bagshot's death. I personally, know the wizard that worked on that case. His caseload has increased a hundred times since then. My focus in studying wizarding genealogies does not lend itself to wealth or fame because it delves in the realm of theory.

3)The Weighing of Magical Power. Powerful wizards have been known to have relations (close and distant) that are equally as powerful. However, greatness can be honed through practice and training. Hence, the draw of magical schools, apprenticeships and clubs. Therefore, it is not wise to depend on inherited talent alone. I study how magical power of wizarding families strengthen and weaken over time.

Theories are more widely used is this arena because of the ability to elevate one's own magical power through mastery of skills, which may nullify the affects of having a lineage lacking in strong magical power. However, many wizards have noted that having relations with high magical power may have an affect on one's own talent. Other wizards have contested to the complete opposite.

The late Professor Charity Burbage suggested that the breeding of magical and non-magical humans can produce strongly magical offspring. This is the Theory of Mingling, supported by much evidence throughout history and the recent increase in muggle-borns with significant magical ability. Professor Burbage also comments on the weakening of magical power in pure-blood families, where the gene pool has been narrowed and the magical sources have been depleted. This is called the Theory of Waning. This theory suggests an older and yet more commonly accepted theory, that all human beings were all magical or all non-magical at one point in time. This is the Theory of One-Blood. There are many ancient theories as to the reason for the division. All are fascinating and worthy of study because evidence is still being collected. But the funding for such studies is scant and only those who truly value knowledge and reason would seek out the answers.

As you can see, there are many reasons as to why this field would interest me. I am not a historian, but I am intellectually stimulated by the study of theories. As a Ravenclaw, I have surpassed many in the study of muggles. And, I have always been drawn to the most powerful, talented, and skillful wizards and witches of our time. My name is Cho Chang and I am a wizarding genealogist.


	2. Chapter 2

Today, I met the muggle parents of a clearly magical baby. Tod and Donna were normally muggle. Baby Persephone, however, actively displayed her magical ability. As the baby sought a more substantial source of comfort, the pacifier seemed to repel the baby's mouth, as a magnet repels another , and floated right up to the ceiling.

The major event that led to this interview was a bread knife on its own sailing through the air and nicking Todd on his chin, as Persephone wailed. The significance is Persephone can do what other 6 month old wizards and witches cannot. The first display of magic usually comes later in childhood. My current study on the increase in muggle-born wizards with significant magical ability allows me to liason with the Department of Muggle Relations. Most wizards have a problem with assimilation in the muggle world. So I visit the muggle families of underage wizards as a liaison to wizarding, and in exchange, the Department of Muggle Relations allows me to interview the families and start a genealogy. I was notified of the occurrence of magic in a muggle household and set out right away to discover the parents of Persephone were skeptical, yet relieved to find out that their child was normal yet special, and they willingly participated in the interview process that would help in garnering information about family history. Well, more willing after I proved my ability with a cheering charm. Through legilimens, I was able to view the faces to the names they mentioned. I was most interested in the mother's mother, the baby's namesake, who was orphaned as a child. Chances are, she is a squib. Squibs are still part of the magical world, just without any or much magical ability. If you believed in rating magical creatures based on magical ability, Squibs would fall right above muggles. Squibs do not always remain magicless. Historical cases of wizards gaining power much later in life have given hope to Squibs everywhere. It could then be questioned whether muggles just die before they gain their magical abilities. Many muggle-born wizards are descendants of Squibs. Most Squibs are orphaned early in life and some are orphaned before they ever have a chance to display magical ability. While, it is rarely broadcasted, it is surprisingly common for proud magical families to give up a child they have deemed non-magical. With a powerful name like Persephone, it is no surprise that there is no recollection of ancestors beyond the mother's mother. It is clear that a memory charm was at work in helping Grandmother Persephone forget her roots. It is possible that the memory charm was not strong enough to help her forget her name and based on her granddaughters' memories, Grandmother Persephone may have had some magical ability. Death, however, seems to be my enemy in this case for Grandmother Persephone is no longer with us.

Usually I stop at a muggle coffee shop for a drink, to reflect on my visits and to take note of my findings. Most witches and wizards would rush back to the familiarity of the magical world, finding anxiety a common friend among muggles. I, on the other hand, find it relaxing to be in a coffee shop and it grounds me in the work I must do in the muggle world. Usually I am ignored but today was very different. As I wrote down Grandmother Persephone's last name in order to research her immediate relatives I absently stirred my tea without using my hand. I caught myself before anyone noticed and I held the spoon in place with my forefinger. I quickly scanned the room. It seemed as if no one noticed my faux pas. That was until I saw a blond head do a double take. I cringed inwardly but smiled at the face under the blonde hair. My smile was returned in the form of a small grin under curious eyes. He was not dashing in the least. He looked sensible, dressed in a well fitting suit and his hair parted to the side. He probably worked at a terribly boring job since the look in eyes not only portrayed curiosity but excitement. He stood at the cash register, holding a pastry and most likely waiting on the rest of what he ordered. But it was truly the shoes that told the story. Wizards and witches everywhere misunderstand the importance of shoes. The wizard that dresses the best to assimilate to the muggle world will ruin in with a flipper or flip flop. Witches and wizards care more about comfort. Ease and comfort can add to the quality of a charm, curse, spell, etc. Muggles will suffer for a great looking pair of shoes. The man, who was encouraged by my smile and was now grinning widely in a charming way, was wearing a shiny pair of wing tips. He dressed to impress and possibly intimidate. He reeked authority and the shoes just screamed how much of a boss he was. I should have done a memory charm. But I guess that my latest muggle interaction left a sour taste in my mouth in regards to a charm that has not only proven useful in the past but I excel in performing. So I just got my things together ( in the non-magical way, of course) and left quickly. I had never slipped up like that before. Self-stirring spoon? Such an elementary mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

In the past, I have used the skill of legilimens well and it has been very beneficial to my research. However, this is the first day in my career that my skills have proven most unhelpful.

First, in a visit to the brother of grandmother Persephone, Rufus Finnigan, I realized that he was unaware of any adoption having taken place. Since he was 10 years old at the birth of his sister, he can remember his mother being pregnant, Persephone's first words and her aversion to the green mush of peas at the age of two years old. Legilimens proved that he believed the story to be true and, yet even the vision of little Persephone's face covered in mashed peas could not be true. Historically, Squibs have been given up for adoption at the age of six, since that has been an age of delineation for many centuries. Only truly cruel parents (usually from proud pure-blood families ) give up their children for adoption any earlier . But even in those instances, I have recorded no cases of squib adoptions earlier than the age of three.

The majority of the magical children usually manifest at the age of five. However, the current professor of herbology at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry did not reveal any magical powers until the age of eight years old. If he belonged to a different type of family, Young Professor Neville Longbottom would have been sent to an orphanage, with the proper memory charms being used of course. In the case of Rufus Finnegan, not only were were memories removed, but also fabricated and done very well for he believes them very strongly. It seems like a recent job since his niece clearly knows that her mother was adopted.

As for the sister, Annette Bore, Legilimens proved to be more beneficial. Inconveniently, Mrs. Bore resides in a home for the elderly, suffering from dementia. I produced paperwork supporting my credentials as a doctor and my need to see Mrs. Bore. In our interview, Mrs. Bore referred to her sister as "an angel of sweetness" that was "taken by the green lightning". All records state that grandmother Persephone was only 44 when she died due to a freak accident of weather. "Freak accident!" she laughed, "The teets must be squeezed in order for you to get milk." As I question her about her sister's life, I see warped images and distorted scenes from her mind. Interspersed with memories of birth are scenes of a dark cottage in the country. Nestled in the recalling of a talking pink elephant, Annette is meeting a 4 to 5 year old Persephone for the first time. Near to the scene of a giant birthday cake is a flying Persephone lighting the candles.

When I ask Annette about the details of the death of her sister, the scenes pass too quickly for me to comprehend and then it was the screaming, crying and wailing. "She's leaving! The angel! She's goooooone!" As orderlies dragged Annette screaming from the room, I caught one last scene. A green flash of light over the prone body of grandmother Persephone. As I make my way out of the facility and towards the coffee shop, I ponder the jumble of memories running through my mind.

Persephone, it seems, was placed in a muggle family before she was able to manifest any magical powers. Her only living relatives to remember her early childhood have broken and fabricated memories. There seems to be no strong clues to her true origin unless…

The dark cottage in the country. I paused outside of the coffee shop, as my mind stumbles unto this clue. It is only a scene from the mind of a demented old lady. Yet, it is said that once the mind is broken the memory charm is broken as well. So this dark cottage is my best clue.

As I stood outside the coffee shop in contemplation, the same blond headed man that caught my magical misstep from the previous day opens the door for me. I smiled and shook my head. My mind was to active to relax and this muggle seems mighty interested. No coffee today .


	4. Chapter 4

"This is insane. You know that, right?", Mr. James Malcolm said as he frowned down his nose at me. "Obviously, someone did not want you to know this information and that someone or someones can be fully aware of the path you are treading."

Diagon Alley is the entrance for the wizarding world here in London and The Leaky Cauldron the gateway, where the line blurs and the muggle is distinguished from the wizard. It is the meeting place for all sorts of magical people. It's popularity is why I chose to meet the great wizarding genealogist James Malcolm at the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Malcolm engendered himself to me by taking me on as an apprentice right after the battle of Hogwarts. It is because of his studies that the theory of Waning has become scientific fact to many in the magical community. Many scholars in the area of Muggle studies have implied that magical powers dwindle as the genetic pool grows smaller. Yet that theory was not taken seriously until Mr. James Malcolm published a study on pureblood families who refused to marry outside of certain groups of wizarding families. Not only was the amount of squibs increasing but the quality of magical ability was decreasing as the generation progressed. These groundbreaking studies made Mr. James Malcolm an ideal sounding board. I sent an owl summarizing my encounters with Persephone's family as well as a time and meeting place. He responded quite readily to confirm. His look of disapproval and his awkward greeting, including an implication of mental instability, as he was seated revealed his perspective.

"Sir, this is why I chose to meet with you. I am unsure as to how I should proceed." Mr. Malcolm's receding hairline was further emphasized by how far he raised his eyebrows. He smoothed down his silk tie as he prepared his answer.

"I'm sure you are brilliant enough to know that there are only two alternatives. For the sake of curiosity, you pursue every avenue until the true ancestry of the baby is revealed or you stop here, equip the baby's parents with the knowledge necessary to raise a magical child and the means by which you can be contacted in case of emergency." he concluded.

"Well, of course, the latter course of action must be done. Common sense. But what of the mysterious death? The erased and implanted memories? By what means can there be justice?", I whispered harshly.

"You will only cause a scandal, if not endanger your very life. There are reasons why these adoptions are conducted secretly. Powerful witches and wizards go to any lengths to keep this kind of information private.", Mr. Malcolm stated.

"I did not bring a scandal to this family. Someone else did through a secret adoption hidden in memory charms. Annette has to suffer consequences. And Donna, Rufus, Todd and baby Persephone. When will the true perpetrators reap the consequences of their actions?", I indignantly spoke lowly.

"Consequences? For what? Giving up a child for adoption? Performing memory charms? These actions are legal and condoned for the greater good. Adoptions allow Squibs to live normal lives in the muggle world. Memory charms allow us to coexist with muggles without the risk of exploitation." he explained.

" I agree to a certain extent. But how does a secret adoption help anyone? It only protects the identity and reputation of the magical family. And what about Annette? I cannot see how the memory charms benefited her. It is quite likely her dementia results from those charms.", I said as my voice grew higher.

"I beg you to calm down. You're getting ahead of yourself. Now you're assuming. Our responsibility to the muggles is not to avoid the sad circumstances but to lessen the effect of those sad circumstances-", I shook my head in consternation and in response, he raised his voice louder, "-and some of those means by which we lessen the effects may be displeasing to you but they have sufficed for centuries, even longer."

I whispered,"And murder is a sad circumstance? According to our laws, there are consequences for -" he cut me off.

"Wait. Are you judging someone by the unclear memories of a demented old lady? Shame on you. You have no substantial proof." he said, disappointment dripping from his words.

"Well, what if I get the death certificate? Or exhumed the body? Either would lead me to the cause of death.", I murmured, ashamed for being scolded by my mentor but determined to expel my curious yet offensive thoughts.

"Okay. Hypothetically, let us say it was murder, even forbidden murder. What motive does a witch or wizard have for murdering an adopted squib?", he whispered appealingly.

The possibilities flew through my mind. All sounded sinister. I looked around at the occupants of the Leaky Cauldron. While I had nothing to hide, I could see how voicing my true thoughts would be the most foolish thing to do. So I sought to change the subject. "None that I am willing to voice but what motive is there for Annette's condition? There is clearly more to this case than the circumstances surrounding the adoption of a squib."

"Of course there is but your work is investigative for scholarly reasons, not for the purpose of satisfying your standards of justice. What are your scholarly reasons?"

He looked at me suspiciously as if he could already read the answer in my eyes. I had purposely left the answer to that question out of my correspondence with Mr. Malcolm , knowing that he would think my thesis too ambitious.

I looked down at the table, and whispered, " I seek to use this case as well as many others to prove the Theory of Mingling."


	5. Chapter 5

Mr. Malcolm's chuckle contradicted the look of shock on his face. When silence persisted, I continued my whispered premise. "I have witnessed cases quite recently with muggles as young as 6 months old showcasing high quality magic, with focus and power I have not seen in some fully grown witch's and wizards. All from muggle families with a squib ancestor."

Mr. Malcolm broke the silence following my statement with a provocative statement of his own. " You are insane!," he whispered in shock. "Even if you do not reveal the magical families involved, your research will be discredited. It is a sad but true fact that anti-muggle political groups have infiltrated scholarly circles. Do you have no sense of self-preservation? Do you not see how serious and dangerous your situation is getting?"

"It is why I wrote to you in the first place. I need your help."

Mr. Malcolm looked straight in my eyes and fervently said,"I can only protect you for so long Miss Chang. Your current course is difficult and I wish you'd come to me earlier. Have you tried the theory of exposure? Many papers are proving the correlation between the increase of Muggle-borns and the mass breeding of dementors that occurred 7 years ago."

He finished eagerly as if he was hoping his enthusiasm on the subject would rub off on me. I hated to disappoint him. But the mere fact that he would think that I would consider a study that posed no challenge infuriated me.

"I am not parroting what has already been done, Mr. Malcolm. I am on the cusp of proving a theory that can change the way many of our kind view the muggle world." I finished indignantly.

He looked at me as if he were studying a really tricky potion. And then he smiled.

"In my research proving the theory of waning, the widening of the genetic pool to prevent the waning of powers does not include the muggle world for obvious reasons. I would be laughed at, committing intellectual suicide. Not even muggle sympathizers find it easy to assimilate to the muggle world. However, it does not take a scholar to realize that the Theory of Waning in a subtle way proves the Theory of Mingling. But to prove Mingling to be true outright in such an anti-muggle atmosphere? I would beg you to find a different course of action but I can see by the determination in your countenance that my begging would be of no use." he sighed in defeat. "There are many powerful people you would be going up against. I can only advise you to take the safest course of action. "

So we discussed how I would go about getting the death certificate from the coroner's office, how I would be able to find the dark cottage were notable families send their squib children for adoption and how to decipher Annette's memories correctly. He also tried to convince me to soften the blow of my research by tying it together with the theory of exposure. I have no plans to write about the Theory of Exposure at all.

I wanted to ask him about how he knew the dark cottage but the stern look in his eye discouraged me. Why was he so willing to except the dark cottage from the mind of the demented old lady and not the death of her sister ? I could feel him turning the pages of my mind as he viewed the green flash of light over the dead body of Persephone. He saw that not only was the memory vivid but attached to many emotions. That memory was more clear than the dark cottage. I know he could sense the authenticity of the memory. Maybe his non-acceptance protects himself as well as his clients. I doubt he seeks only my protection .

As I left the Leaky Cauldron, on the Muggle side, I walked towards my coffee shop. I ordered a cup. I stirred my coffee with the bright red coffee stirrer held firmly between my thumb in my index finger and I cleared my mind. The plan was set. I would not worry anymore. I will leave the coroner's office to the next day. I was relaxing. I was done.

"Hello!", a voice shouted. I startled out of my staring into space. " I've been trying to catch you for weeks." It seemed as if the man with blonde hair and the restrictive shoes had finally confronted me. He leaned in very close to me and whispered.

"I know what you are.", I shook my head with a blank stare and a questioning smile.

"Sir ?"

"You're a witch. "

This is what elementary mistakes lead to .

"What are you talking about ?", I answered incredulously.

"Old don't worry. I know better than to say anything to anyone about it."

"I'm unaware about what you are speaking of and I'm afraid you have made me very uncomfortable. "

"My name is Dudley Dursley. I rarely see people like you and you... You seem so normal. If I didn't catch the stirring spoon from the other day I would never know. "

I quickly gathered my things, the memory charm waiting in the wings to be performed .

"Maybe you know my cousin, Harry Potter. He supposed to be someone really important in your world, no?"

I froze, my coffee cup in hand and bag strap on shoulder. "Excuse me ?", I squeaked.

"Harry Potter? Really messy hair? Glasses? Scar? "

Dudley Dursley, muggle relative of Harry Potter just walked into my life. What are the odds?


	6. Chapter 6

Dudley Dursley, was the son of Petunia Dursley, who was sister of Lily Evans, a muggle-born witch, who is mother to one of the greatest wizards of all time, Harry James Potter. I could not resist at least a short interview with Dudley Dursley, who just so happened to be a muggle relative of Harry. Lily Potter had extraordinary powers and a high quality of magic. Professor Slughorn professes as much since she was one of his treasured students. The case of Lily Evans Potter, a witch with magnificent powers, could not be explained away by exposure since she was dead long before the mass breeding of dementors in 1996. But quite possibly, it can be explained by a squib ancestor. There are no trustworthy genealogies on the Potter family. It is possible that Harry, like his father, showed no interest in finding his ancestry, since they were unaware that the invisibility cloak passed along from father to son in their family, actually belonged to Ignotus Peverell, a very famous wizard indeed.

Here was a ripe opportunity to get information and possibility start a genealogy on the muggle side of Harry Potter's family. Possibly find out if there is a squib in Evan's family ancestry. Hopefully, gain credibility for my research by proving the ancestry of Harry Potter and maybe gaining protection from families such as the Weasleys and the Potters.

I smiled and introduced myself,"Dudley Dursley, I am so very pleased to meet you. My name is Cho Chang and I would like to interview you. Would you mind?" I asked as I sat down.

"I guess, sure." He looked confounded. "It was Harry that got you to sit down, wasn't it?"

If only he knew. "Dudley,… may I call you that?" He nodded and sat down. "My profession puts me in a position that allows me to interview muggles who are related to witches and wizards who seem to just pop up in muggle families, such as your aunt, Lily Evans."

"Oh? Why?" he questioned.

I wondered how much I should reveal to him but then I remembered that I could always utter the memory charm that would make him forget. "Well, at this time I am doing a study specifically in regards to the breeding between magical and muggle, or non-magical families and how it might produce more magical people."

"Why is that important?" he persisted.

I thought of a cheering charm that would focus his mind on happier thoughts rather than this line of questioning. But the answers kept coming out. "There are wizards and witches that believe magical people should not mingle with non-magical people."

"Why?" he continued.

He must not realize how annoying this is but I keep answering the questions. He seems to be very charismatic. The questions he asked like a petulant child did not denote charisma but they seem to beckon answers. Interesting. "There are many different reasons why mingling is not condoned by many of our kind. Prejudice is just one of the reasons."

"Why?" he asked again. He must have been spoiled as child

"Prejudice can stem from a fear of the unknown or as reaction to past maltreatment, such as the persecution of witches and wizards from a time long ago."

"Oh." The questions were done and the pull to answer ebbed. "I think I can understand that." He finished with sip of his drink and no explanation for his answer. Yet my curiosity was peaked.

"How so?"

"Harry's childhood was far from the best , and unfortunately, my parents and I added Harry's sufferings. He represented all that was abnormal and freaky to my father and mother. A fear of the unknown and different fueled my parents' treatment of Harry and I followed because it was how I was taught. I wish it were different." He finished with another sip. And yet I felt his story was not done.

"Did you like Harry?", I asked.

" Harry saved my life from a tormentor –"

"Dementor?" I corrected.

He nodded. "Yes, dementor. Worst feeling of my life. But if someone saves my life, it's very hard to hate them. I actually wanted to be friends with him. But I guess old habits die hard. After my family moved from Surrey, the year I turned seventeen, we lost touch with Harry. He visits me every once in a while. Rarely would my mother allow him in her house. My Father passed away soon after the move. Heart Attack. Mom blames Harry. I doubt I could be a good source of information on Harry Potter since I know nothing of his life now."


	7. Chapter 7

"My main interest in you is not Harry Potter," I stated as I shook my head, "but Lily Potter and her parents, your grandparents."

"Oh. Okay then. Ask away. Or maybe you can read my mind." He smiled excitedly. I groaned inwardly. Mr. Dursley was fascinated by magic.

"I'd rather get the information from you willing." I smirked. "It makes the mind reading easier." I felt the need to appease his desire to participate in what his mind believed was a magic trick.

I took out my quill and scroll, which was masquerading as a pen and notebook through a tricky bit of magic. "Have you at some point in your life witnessed any strange or almost magical occurrences?"

"Kind of hard not to growing up with Harry." He stated, scratching his chin. "Where do I begin? " He paused, thinking. "There was the time with the tormentor."

"Dementor." I corrected again.

"Dementor?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered. I just corrected him less than five minutes ago. He is very focused on himself.

He waved his hand offhandedly. "Whichever. And then there was that time when he blew up my aunt."

"Like an explosion?" I asked astounded.

"No. More like a balloon." he chuckled. "It was funny. Then there was the time he made the pudding hover in the air and fall on the wife of my dad's client. Oh and he caused the glass to disappear from the snake tank at the zoo. And I fell in." he laughed.

"That's cruel!" I was shocked that Harry Potter was capable of all these actions.

"To be fair, I had just pushed Harry out of the way to get to the tank. Ooh. I had a pig's tail for a while." I gasped. "But that wasn't Harry.", he added quickly. "One time I ate a piece of candy that caused my tongue to grow so large that it rolled around on the floor like a snake." I gasped again. "Also not Harry, but I had an issue with food that got me in trouble a lot back then.", he said as he patted his belly. "Wrestling and diet straightened that out." He then looked me straight in the eye. "I work out at a gym near here. Would you like to come see it?"

I almost said yes, and I had no clue why. I shook my head. "Excuse me? No, I just want to gather some information from you." I used legilimens to look into his mind and I saw a scene of a topless Dudley lifting weights and me, fawning over him. I vowed to myself that I would never go to the gym.

"Oh, it's completely harmless.", he continued. "You come here often and you usually stay for at least an hour. You could spare ten minute to visit my gym." He smiled disarmingly. Not only was he aware of my presence in the shop but he seemed…romantically interested in me. The thought came out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Are you interested in dating me?" I asked , flabbergasted that I did. It took me too long to put two and two together.

"Well yes but for right now, I can just stick to the interview.", he stated as he tapped the notebook and then sipped his drink.

"Sure… interview." I stammered. I never pursued romantic interest with a muggle before so I never expected one to be interested in me. We spoke for about twenty more minutes before he had to get back to work. Within that time, he revealed his mother's dislike for her parents, the physical well-being of his mother as well as her grandparents and the kindness they demonstrated towards his mother before they passed away. But he seemed unaware of any ancestry passed his grandparents. He also asked me to meet him at 12:45 the next day at the same shop. He was very charming. That is the only reason I have as to why I smiled and told him yes.


	8. Chapter 8

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;"Good Morning Mr. Malcolm,/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;"Hope you are doing well. I will be attempting the retrieval of the coroner's report today. Perhaps we can meet this evening at six o'clock to discuss the day's events. Send an owl and let me know. Thank you./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;"Respectfully,/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;"Cho Chang Wizarding Genealogist/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"It was early in the morning and I hated to disturb Mr. James Malcolm but if I wanted to get an early start, I needed to try and confirm this meeting early in the day. As a highly sought after genealogist, Mr. Malcolm would probably find it hard to schedule a meeting with me, but I was hoping an early owl would catch him before he started his day./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" I sipped my tea and pondered my plans for the day. First, I needed the death certificate of Persephone Watley. It would help me determine if Annette's broken memories about her deceased sister were somewhat accurate. Mr. Malcolm advised me to play the role of a prestigious professor in the area of forensic science seeking the coroner's report for Persephone Watley. Of course, I would have "paperwork" authenticating my position as well as written permission of the family. It may be highly possible that the coroner's report may have already been transferred to the computer system. The revelation of this information only required a discrete tap from my wand on the computer hardware. Fortunately, as liaison with the muggle relations department, I have learned how to gain the records of muggles without revealing who I truly am to them. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" Something sinister gnawed at the back of my mind and would not allow me to relax with my early morning cup of tea. What exactly was I expecting to find today? If I found evidence of an unforgivable curse, should I pursue a course of investigation to discover the murderer? Was it murder? What were the circumstances of the death? Maybe Persephone started to show magical abilities that put her in danger of the world around her so she was killed for "the greater good". Or maybe she was finding out about her true parentage and her parents did not want to be found out so she was killed. Or maybe she was killed accidentally and the killing was covered up so muggles would not get to suspicious./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"So many things in muggle relations are done for the greater good. It's almost sickening that people that barely know muggles (and even loathe them), decide on a daily (even hourly) basis what is beneficial for them. Truly, the selfishness of humans has proven in the past that allowing muggles to know about the wizarding world has only lead to muggles trying to gain access to more power which leads to the retaliation of the wizarding world. And yet selfishness in wizards allows them to take advantage of the power they can hold over muggles. And then they get away with it by saying that it is "for the greater good". Who draws the line between what is for the greater good and what is taking advantage of a vulnerable populace? Wizarding laws? Created by people who are trained to judge fairly but have an unfair bias by being witches and wizards themselves?/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"I decided right then that I would pursue the identity of the Persephone's killer and find out the circumstances of her death. Unfortunately, I was not stupid enough to believe anyone would be accused of a crime as a result of what I would find out. Muggle lives were not weighed as precious in the eyes of many witches and wizards. In order for a crime against a muggle to be given a sentence in Azkaban, it had to be proven without a shadow of a doubt that the crime was not a benefit to the mass majority of muggles and witches and wizards alike. Usually, torturing muggles and killing muggles leads to a jail sentence. But it is easier to prove that it was for the greater good when only one muggle is killed or tortured. A case of mistaken identity or a spell or charm gone awry can be excuses often used to get away with crimes against muggles. During the time of the Dark Lord, many would say they were coerced to attack muggles using the Imperius curse. Those wizards and witches were not sentenced to any time in Azkaban. A muggle cannot defend himself in the Wizengamot. The muggles testimony can be skewed by charms and spells./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"So the Wizengamot being forced to defend muggles fairly was not my goal with Persephone's case. My goal was to find justice for a poor old lady sitting in a convalescence entertaining thoughts that were the results of a broken memory charm. My goal was to find the connecting thread from baby Persphone to our world. My goal was to understand why Persephone had to die? /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"As I pondered, this last thought, my owl flew to my window and tapped twice with its talon. I opened the window to let her in and closed it directly to avoid the cold air. Toots, my owl, jumped to the arm of my dining chair. I sat down in the chair, unraveled the note from her foot, and caressed her feathers as I read./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"span style="font-family: Jokerman;"Cho/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Jokerman;"6 it is. Meet you at your coffee shop? Safety among muggles. Mingling is offensive to many./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Jokerman;"James/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" I could tell by the jerkiness of the writing and broken sentences that the letter was written quickly. I turned the parchment over and took out my quill and ink to compose a response./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;"Sure. I'll be in the muggle world all day today. See you at 6 PM./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Andalus, serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" I rolled up the parchment and tied it back to Toots' leg. She gently pecked my arm as I tied. So I grabbed a treat for her before opening the window and sending her out. She waited patiently on the arm of the dining chair. I petted her as she took the treat. Then I walked over to window, opened it and she flew right out./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Safety among muggles. Mingling is offensive…" I sipped my tea as I thought about the results of what could happen to a helpless muggle populace if the wizarding world embraced the Theory of Mingling as scientific fact. They might use muggles to produce more magical descendants. Muggles could be manipulated into becoming a slave race, kept alive solely for the purpose of breeding. The images of naked humans being kept shackled in the basements of wizarding manors flashed through my mind. I shook my head to get rid of the image. There was a part of me that was happy a prejudice existed between pure-bloods towards muggles that would prevent this from happening. There was a part of me that was glad that I would be shunned because of my research by the majority of wizarding world, especially those who were fiscally able to breed humans and get away with it. But what if my research was accepted? I had to speak with Mr. Malcolm about that subject./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Meet you at your coffee shop." I had another meeting at my coffee shop today at 12:45. My meeting with Dudley Dursley, muggle cousin of Harry Potter, would be very interesting. If I were to prove that in Lily Evans' ancestry lurked a hidden squib, maybe I can gain the support of not just muggle sympathizers but of those who support Harry Potter, "the boy who lived" and defeated this generation most feared dark wizard. Maybe I could gain the protection of the Potter and Weasley family, a bastion of defense against those who would stoop to the use of dark magic to achieve their ends./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"These were all long shots. My research was dependent on so many maybes. What are the chances that I would run into an infatuated Dudley? What are the chances that I would stumble across the mysterious death of a muggle orphan connected to a muggle born with significant magical power at the age of 6 months old? It seemed as if chance was on my side. The Theory of Mingling would be proved by me. I swallowed the last mouthful of tea and walked over to the sink to rinse out my cup, ready to start the day./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 17px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p 


End file.
